Pope Francis has recorded and released an audio message thanking those who have been praying for his recovery, his voice breathless as he nears three weeks in hospital with pneumonia.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square, I accompany you from here. May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you," Pope Francis said in his native Spanish in the message broadcast at the start of a prayer for his recovery in St Peter's Square.
It was the first time the world has heard Francis's voice since the 88-year-old was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital last month.
Pope Francis releases an audio message to thank everyone who has been praying for his health.
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) March 6, 2025
The audio clip was broadcast in St. Peter's Square on Thursday, March 6, as Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime led the nightly Rosary prayer.https://t.co/owgis4dsGX pic.twitter.com/bi7nTAzDRs
Pilgrims have been gathering in St Peter's Square every evening to pray for the pope's recovery. The hundreds of people there applauded when they heard his message.
It comes after the Vatican said the Pope remains stable and did not have any new episodes of respiratory crisis.
In a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff continues treatment, the Pope's doctors said they would not issue another medical bulletin until Saturday, "considering the stability of the clinical picture".
Up until this point the Vatican has been providing twice daily updates on the Pope's health - a morning one on how the night went, and an evening medical bulletin.
Pope Francis was admitted to hospital on 14 February with a severe respiratory infection that has required continuously evolving treatment.
In the latest detailed medical update on his condition, the Vatican said the Pope had not had a fever and his blood tests had remained stable.
Despite pausing the daily readouts about his condition, the doctors continued to call the Pope's prognosis "guarded", meaning he was not yet out of danger.
The tone of the updates from the Vatican has been more upbeat in recent days, following what was described as two episodes of "acute respiratory insufficiency" on Monday.
The Vatican said the Pope had been able to work between receiving his treatments and taking rest.
It also said the pontiff, who has used a wheelchair in recent years due to knee and back pain, had continued with some physical therapy to help with mobility, which first started on Wednesday.
Monday's respiratory episodes had required Pope Francis to use non-invasive mechanical ventilation, which involves placing a mask over the face to help push air into the lungs.
The Pope is now only receiving ventilation at night, the Vatican said. During the day, he receives oxygen via a small hose under his nose.
Pope Francis has not been seen in public since entering hospital, his longest such absence since his papacy started 12 years ago.
His doctors have not said how long the treatment might last.
The Pope, who is known to work himself to exhaustion, has continued to work from hospital. The Vatican announced the appointments of two bishops that would have required his approval.
The Pope has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.
